What’s Happening Here? 4 Mobile App Statistics for Businesses

June 27, 2016
 
Ashley Rondeau

There’s been a lot of great statistics recently concerning mobile apps. Let’s run down the 4 stats that had us thinking about the future of the app development business.

1. Social apps are seeing less usage, globally.

Across nine countries around the world, the time spent in the major social apps have decreased this year from 2015. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram all saw lower usage, with some countries showing larger decreases than others. For example, Instagram users in the USA saw a huge drop from 29.38 minutes to 19.93 minutes.
Social Media App Usage Across the Globe
SimilarWeb also reported that installs of each app generally saw a global decline comparing March 2015 to March 2016. Business Insider echoed these findings. So does this mean that the general public is getting tired of maintaining social lives on their phones? Perhaps it’s the rash of perceived censorship that’s causing users to log out? It could also be that the generation that made up a large percentage of the users of these apps are growing up and getting busier (for example, it’s no secret that Facebook’s users are getting older).
We’ll have to see if this trend continues, but it’s worrisome for the industry overall if the stickiest apps we have, social apps, are having trouble keeping users’ attentions. And one thing to note about this study: these were only Android users. iPhone users were not included in these stats.

2. Enterprises are dragging their feet on building their mobile apps.

You know that family member who keeps saying they’re going to restore that hot rod but never does? That’s the enterprise segment with mobile apps. A study by Gartner shows that they talk a big game: 42% of enterprises surveyed said they would increase mobile app spending by 31% in 2016. However, in reality enterprises are allocating 2% less than they did in 2015.
The big boys keep promising they’ll invest in their apps, but here’s a nearly identical article from 2014. We keep hearing from industry experts that the enterprise app boom is coming, but it seems to keep stalling.
The bottom line is that offering a great app for a giant business’ potentially tens of thousands of users is a daunting task. Since enterprises want to develop their app from the ground up instead of relying on an existing platform, they know it will cost a great deal of time and money.
If you ask us, that means there are still huge opportunities for the enterprises willing to take the plunge. If your competitors are dragging their feet, you can get your mobile app out first. It’s clear that apps are the future of business. The first-movers will have a tremendous advantage in mobilizing their workforce and creating an engagement platform for their customers.

3. TV advertising boosts mobile app usage.

Who said traditional media advertising is dead? A recent report by the Video Advertising Bureau (yes, they might be biased) showed that 46 out of 60 apps analyzed showed a “direct correlation between TV spend and app traffic.”
VAB Whats Appening.pdf
These apps saw 30% more unique visitors and higher monthly revenues, with gaming apps seeing the biggest lifts. In fact, gaming app makers seem to love TV ads, having spent $630 million on TV advertising in 2015 (up 47% from 2014).
Again, this report is obviously a bit biased. But the numbers do seem to show that if you want a burst of traffic to your app, TV ads can be an efficient use of advertising money, especially for the types of apps pictured on the left side of the image above. When the hot trend is to advertise on other apps where ROI is difficult to gauge, some good old TV ads might see the tangible results you’re looking for.

4. Chain restaurants with great apps see higher sales.

And by “great” we mean well-designed. According to a study by Arc Research, there is a correlation of restaurant apps with higher audience ratings pulling in more revenue directly from their mobile apps. Brands like Domino’s, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell have well-reviewed apps that handle more transactions than their competitors. For example, more than half of Domino’s US sales are “driven through digital engagement.”
The Best And Worst Restaurant Apps Of 2016 ARC ARC
According to Ben Gray, a Digital Experience Analyst, apps received lower ratings for being slow, having defects, lacking key features (like loyalty programs and mobile payments), and “frankly, they also aren’t very elegant or beautifully-designed.” These numbers seem to indicate that investing in an excellent mobile app experience can directly impact the bottom line for those businesses.
Makes sense to us. Chain restaurants are all about small transactions at great volume. That’s exactly where a great mobile app can shine by making waits and lines shorter, pushing coupons, and simply being “top of mind” whenever a user’s stomach rumbles. The easier it is to order a pizza, the lower the barrier is to starting that transaction and earning that revenue. It’s a great lesson for businesses other than just fast food vendors.
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So, if you don’t know where to get started with a blueprint for your app, Rocket Farm Studios can take the pressure off.

4 Ways Apple’s WWDC Affects Mobile Apps

June 14, 2016
 
Ashley Rondeau

Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is here! How was the first day? Well, it wasn’t too exciting, it wasn’t too boring, it was… about what everyone expected from a company struggling to live up to its own innovative history. But there were still many announcements that had us sitting upright in our seats during the live feed. Here are the 4 ways Apple’s WWDC announcements will affect mobile apps in the near future.
Apple WWDC

1. Big changes to App Store policies.

We’re already cheating a bit here since the App Store policy changes were announced a few days before WWDC 16. But it’s close enough, and honestly this was pretty big news with arguably the most impact to mobile apps:

  1. App Store review times will be much shorter, and these changes have already rolled out. Apple’s goal is to approve 90% of apps in 48 hours, which is down quite a bit from the typical 5 working days that was the previous standard. That’s big news to app developers who can roll out features and fixes on a much quicker schedule.
  2. Subscription-based pricing will be available as an option on any sort of app. This opens up a brand new business model to many app developers who didn’t have access to charging via a subscription before.
  3. Now there are 200 pricing tiers. Not only will developers have more flexibility in what to charge, they will also have access to territory pricing: the ability to charge an amount depending on geography.
  4. Developers will earn 85% of the revenue in the second year of a subscription. This is up from a flat 70%, and potentially a big boost in overall revenue for tens of thousands of app businesses.

If you have an app on the App Store, definitely check out all the policy changes because there is a lot more. And check out the fun comic book about app review policy Apple put out!

2. Siri gets to mingle with developers.

Apple has finally decided to open up Maps and iMessage to developers, but most exciting is that they’ve opened up Siri. Google, Amazon, even Microsoft has been doing very well with their own voice assistants and it’s about time the grandmother of them all can be integrated into 3rd party apps. We expect a slew of iOS apps to take advantage of Siri in the coming updates once developers get to play around with SiriKit.
SiriKit Apple Developer
Siri is also coming to desktop and the new Apple TV remote app, so expect to hear her soothing voice a whole lot more.

3. Apple Home for your Internet of Things.

We’ve been waiting for Apple to announce hardware to act as the “hub of the home,” and it looks like they’re getting close. Apple Home is the natural extension of their HomeKit (released 2 years ago!) to allow users to manage various internet-enabled things around the house. While we can’t see Apple’s play into the Internet of Things really take off until they release hardware, Apple Home is a glimpse into what the future will bring.
Products available when Apple Home debuts include thermostats, security cameras, smoke detectors and power outlets. Nothing earth-shattering, but there will be more coming. And since the app will work with the Apple Watch, at least we’ll get to turn on the A/C via our wrists.

4. Speaking of Apple Watch: WatchOS 3.

We welcome any and all updates to the Apple Watch! We’re still very much on the fence about the viability of this mobile device, but we want it to succeed. So, loading apps 7x faster? Yes! Easier navigation? Yes! New Control Center? Yes! The “Scribble” feature to draw out individual letters? …Sure?
Jokes aside, this update also comes with a new S.O.S. feature to quickly call 911 and share medical ID information, and that’s great to see. There is still a lot of potential to be mined with the Apple Watch, and it’s good to see that Apple isn’t giving up on their fledgling device.
What excites you about Apple’s WWDC 16 announcements? Sound off below!
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So, if you don’t know where to get started with a blueprint for your app, Rocket Farm Studios can take the pressure off.

Hub of the Home: The Next Internet of Things Battleground

June 6, 2016
 
Ashley Rondeau

What is the hub of your home? Until now, the answer to that has been your main source of entertainment. Remember when it was this?

radio
credit: britannica.com

And then it was this:
television
credit: WSJ

Then in the 2000s, the major video game console systems were jockeying to be the entertainment hub of your home. The Wii, the Playstation, the Xbox could not only play games, but connect to the internet to stream media, and play HD-DVDs and Blu-ray disks to boot (remember those?).
Of course, we didn’t expect physical media to die such a quick death. Today, the landscape is, like everything else mobile, very fractured. How many of you have a Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, Boxee, or maybe just a TV that’s already internet enabled? How many even still have a TV? We know plenty of families who just stream TV and movies directly to iPads or laptops. Try as the big corporations might, no one product has won the entertainment hub wars.
But that might change if companies can win something more important: your home’s IoT controller.

Upcoming battleground: your home’s brain.

We’ve seen connected smart products slowly infiltrate our homes. Google’s Nest made a big splash a few years ago as a smart thermostat that could control more than just the temperature. Then Sonos made a push for smart audio in the home.

credit: amazon.com
credit: amazon.com

But Amazon’s Echo is what made the industry sit up. Finally, unlike Nest or Sonos, the Echo was the first foray into creating a functional, affordable, and connected brain for everything. Suddenly, if something in your home had the right wireless app, it could be controlled via voice command. Lights, heat, a/c, music, even locks. So heres’ the rub: the company that controls your home’s brain is poised to be the gatekeeper to every other product you purchase. After all, why would you buy wireless speakers that don’t work with your home’s hub?
That’s why the mobile juggernauts Google and Apple are scrambling to get their Echo competitors in the home. Google Home and Apple HomeKit (and their to-be-named Echo competitor) are launching so Amazon doesn’t win the day.
If you thought Nintendo vs Sony vs Microsoft was interesting, just wait until this new three-way tech hardware war heats up.

So, who’s going to win?

Well, Amazon has the lead. They’ve sold 3 million Echos already, with solid customer reviews, and they’ve released different versions that are cheaper and more portable. Google has yet to release their version, and Apple’s HomeKit is fairly limited in what it can actually do. Additionally, Amazon has experience with their “Internet of Things for the home” products. Their Dash buttons were some of the first IoT items anyone actually bought.
However, Google has Android and Apple has iOS. Since your home’s hub will rely on mobile apps, these two tech giants will have a huge edge over Amazon simply because they do mobile better. Amazon failed with its smartphone try, and its own app store has never been competitive. It’s unlikely Amazon can win if software ends up being the key to winning the home (and it will be).

credit: Google
credit: Google

Of the two, Google has the search edge over Apple. Sure, Siri works ok, but Google’s own voice search “Ok Google” has the power of, well, Google behind it. And Google’s search is still the best in the game. If you want to be able to ask the hub of your home a question, you probably want Google to answer. Especially since Android is much better than iOS at 3rd-party integration.
On the other hand, Apple has the hardware edge over Google with a proven track record of waiting a while and delivering exactly what the masses want. Apple has stumbled lately in delivering services, but they’re still the company to beat if we’re talking about a product that lives in the home that will be used every single day by mom and pop. As long as their apps equal what Android offers, their slicker hardware might be what tips the scale.
The real answer will probably look more like the console wars than you think: a little messy, but great for the consumers who will have three choices when it comes to what controls their home’s IoT. And especially great news for app developers who will be churning out the software to make everything actually work. So we say, bring on the future!
Who do you think will win the hub of the home battle?
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So, if you don’t know where to get started with a blueprint for your app, Rocket Farm Studios can take the pressure off.

2016 MITX Award Winner!

June 1, 2016
 
Ashley Rondeau

If you haven’t read Yankee Candle’s press release yet, here’s the gist: our Scent Systems mobile app we created with them won MITX’s “Most Innovative Use of IoT” award! Here’s our CEO Dan Katcher accepting the award:
IMG_3255
Here’s a shot of the app in action at the MITX event:
IMG_3254
Not only are we proud of the work we’ve done with Yankee Candle, we’re also extremely happy that the Internet of Things movement is catching on. We are firm believers that IoT is mobile’s future, and it’s great that organizations like MITX are recognizing achievements in this category of development.
Thank you MITX and Yankee Candle!
Check out our case study on the Scent Systems app.
Read the PR.
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So, if you don’t know where to get started with a blueprint for your app, Rocket Farm Studios can take the pressure off.